Spore Couple in Viral Video Fined S$2.7K for Abusing Elderly Man

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Tears and remorse from couple after abusive viral video.

  • She refused to share a table at hawker centre with elderly man, abused him with vulgar and insulting language
  • He barged into the victim, causing him to almost fall, argued with the old man, pushed bowls and plates off the table 

In a video after the trial of Chow Chuin Yee, 45, and Tay Puay Leng, 38, the couple emotionally and humbly apologise to their victim and the public.

On the evening of Apr 21, the couple had gone to a Toa Payoh hawker centre for dinner.

A dispute arose when Tay refused to share the table – which can seat five people – with Ng Ai Hua, 76, who had approached the table carrying his dinner.

While arguing, Tay used vulgar and insulting language at Ng. She also called Chow, who was away buying his dinner, for help.

When Chow arrived, he barged into Ng’s back forcefully, before engaging in a dispute with the latter. To break his fall, Ng held onto the table in front of him.

Ng eventually went to sit at another table, while a member of the public who had witnessed the dispute admonished Chow for pushing Ng.

Chow reacted angrily, sweeping some bowls and plates off the table onto the ground.

The couple’s aggressive behaviour was captured on video by a bystander and it went viral after it was posted on Facebook. It drew widespread condemnation online, with a petition gathering over 8,000 signatures calling for civil action against the couple.

Yesterday, Chow was fine S$1,500 for one count of causing public nuisance and another count of using criminal force on Ng, while Tay was fined S$1,200 for one count of harassment after admitting their offences.

For causing a ruckus, Chow could have been jailed up to five months and/or fined up to S$5,000, while for using criminal force on Ng, he could have been jailed for up to three months and/or fined up to S$1,500.

For harassing Ng with abusive language, Tay could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

Chow is a director of a tuition centre while Tay is a Math tutor at the centre.